


reach the other side

by fxbricxtedrexlity



Category: Mamamoo
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Fluff and Smut, and a goldfish named mathilde, and they're neighbors, ft. ggomo, human!wheein, mermaid!hyejin, wheein's pets keep setting them up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:26:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27682858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fxbricxtedrexlity/pseuds/fxbricxtedrexlity
Summary: ::Wheein smiles, shyly by the way her shoulder hunches forward a little, dimple making itself known and Hyejin kind of wants to see how deep it goes. “About you, yeah.”Oh.This is a moment, Hyejin’s sure of it. Of course, she’s attracted to Wheein—she has eyes—but there’s something about it not being just physical attraction, something that warms her because maybe Wheein wants to know more about mermaids because it’s about her.She tries for a smile, watching as Wheein’s confidence grows and oh, that is such an attractive look on her even with pillow crease marks pressed on her dimpled cheek and hair falling off of a low ponytail.::wheesa. mermaid!hwasa just wants to live in the big city while keeping her mermaid status a secret. talking to her neighbor’s goldfish is not part of that plan. aka the wheesa neighbors + mermaid hyejin + wheein’s pets playing matchmaker au:;
Relationships: Ahn Hyejin | Hwasa/Jung Wheein
Comments: 7
Kudos: 66





	reach the other side

**Author's Note:**

>   
> a tad bit of warning before you proceed :)  
> this fic contains explicit sexual content  
> if some of the warnings put you off, please press the back button now :)  
> relationship between mamamoo's wheein and hwasa  
> i respect each and every one of the characters and real people i used in this fic
> 
> i guess that’s all, please enjoy :)  
> 

**::**

_reach the other side_

**::**

this story is for a friend :)

**::**

_my love is at the edge_

_edge of the ocean_

_she’s wrapped in greens and blues_

_my love is at the edge_

_the edge of the ocean_

_she sings to me a tune_

_come to sea_

_come and find me_

_and wash yourself in blue_

_siren’s song; jon foreman_

**::**

_wheesa. mermaid!hwasa just wants to live in the big city while keeping her mermaid status a secret. talking to her neighbor’s goldfish is not part of that plan. aka the wheesa neighbors + mermaid hyejin + wheein’s pets playing matchmaker au_

**::**

Hyejin’s got a finger jammed between her foot and shoe, the other already upturned on the floor from where she toed it off when someone knocks on her door. It’s late, way past most of her neighbor’s bedtime, and the only one she can think of is the elusive Jung Wheein from the door next to her who seems to be awake at night and asleep in the mornings.

She’s right. Jung Wheein is standing in the hallway with her standard baggy clothes and hair up in a half-assed bun, wisps reaching for the sky, a faint scent of alcohol on her.

“Hey, uhm,” She fiddles with the multiple rings on her fingers, all glinting in the warm light of the hallway. “, I know it’s late and you don’t know me but can you talk to fish? I’m worried my goldfish might be depressed.”

They’re not friends, but they have pretty thin walls, and her neighbor seems to do everything in her house while talking to her cat.

And goldfish, apparently.

Maybe it’s the smoke still clinging on her nose or the fact that it’s _really_ late but it takes an embarrassingly long time before it sinks in for Hyejin that _did she just ask if I can talk to fish?_

“What?”

Jung Wheein blinks owlishly. “You’re a mermaid, right? Of course, I don’t know if you can talk to fish but I just _assumed_ that—”

Everything happened so fast. One moment they’re standing awkwardly in the hallway, the next Hyejin’s pulled the smaller girl inside her apartment with a tight grip on her long sleeves, pressing her against the front door with what she hopes is a threatening glare.

“How the fuck did you know?”

Eyes wide, Wheein pulls her hands up in surrender. “Woah woah woah, calm down! I’m sorry, I don’t know much about merpeople and it’s cool if you can’t, like, talk to fish. I—”

“Not that,” Hyejin interjects, pressing a lone finger at the middle of the woman’s chest, the thickness of her sweater dulling the sharpness of her nail. “No one knows. I made sure of that. So, _how_ the fuck did you know?”

“Oh,” Wheein murmurs, the scent of beer and toothpaste mint on her breath. “, it’s, uh, kind of obvious?”

Hyejin furrows her brows, confused, because _no_. It’s not.

She sighs, pulling away to give them both space. “You’re going to have to explain that one.”

Wheein nods, stays right where she is, both palms flat against the coolness of the door. “You put up those flyers about, uh, the ocean, right? The ones in the lobby? And it’s for the organization that protects merpeople and the oceans.” Hyejin raises one eyebrow, the woman in front of her instantly understanding that it’s not enough. “Also I, uh, can hear you sing like when you shower in the morning. You have a pretty voice.”

When it’s clear she doesn’t have anything else to say, Hyejin rubs a hand down her face. “You do realize that what you just describe can literally be anyone, right? That it doesn’t make them merpeople?”

Wheein shrugs, the oversized fabric of her sweater slides through her shoulders and exposes a hint of a collarbone. “Maybe, but I was shooting in the dark, just hoping. I’m serious about my fish and was ready to apologize in case you aren’t. But the way you reacted gave you away, to be honest.”

Hyejin sags against the wall. This is the first time someone got suspicious that she might be a mermaid, of course she doesn’t know how to react.

After a few minutes of enjoying the silence stretch enough for her neighbor to awkwardly shift her weight from heel to heel, Hyejin runs a hand through her hair.

“I can’t speak to fish but I might know what’s wrong.”

**::**

Jung Wheein’s apartment is the mirrored version of hers. One bedroom, a bathroom, a broom closet that can double as an office space if you’re creative enough (and not claustrophobic), and an open kitchen-to-living room design. It’s nothing to write home about; a few unwashed dishes in the sink, a cat lounging in front of a silent television, and a decent-sized tank for one small goldfish.

She squints, the fish is more white than their natural color.

“Low oxygen,” is all she says, accepting as Wheein wordlessly passes her a can of juice. Mango, she notes delightedly, doesn’t know how much she missed the taste until the flavors explode against her tongue.

“This is a new tank,” Wheein murmurs, squatting down the floor to fiddle with a few wires and then Hyejin watches as the bubbles inside the tank double. “Must’ve set it wrong.”

“They also need a bit more sunlight and if you’re up for it, a companion.”

Her neighbor looks at her with raised brows, pursing her lips, then bends eye-level to the tank.

“That’s it? You want a boyfriend?”

“Or maybe a girlfriend.” At the smaller woman’s amused smile, Hyejin defends: “What? We don’t assume here.” She pauses, looks Wheein up and down. “Or at least I don’t.”

Wheein groans, straightening her spine, lips pooling in a sheepish smile.

“Okay, I’m sorry about that. I’ll keep it a secret if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Folks like them co-existed with humans since the dawn of time yet it’s just a few hundred years ago that laws started that protects them from being hunted, experimented on, exploited, and a bunch of other things. The world is still adjusting.

Hyejin looks at her neighbor critically, concludes that if things turn for the worse, maybe she can use the goldfish for blackmail. Tell her the fish wants to run away or play dead or something.

“Don’t tell anyone.” She repeats, reaching a handout. “Ahn Hyejin.”

Wheein smiles, a little charming, dimple popping out of her cheek. “Jung Wheein.” She then points to the fish, then the cat. “Mathilde, Ggomo.”

Hyejin rolls her eyes but waves her fingers nonetheless.

**::**

There’s an odd suspicion nagging at the back of Hyejin’s brain that her neighbor’s pets are trying to set them up.

It’s a nice morning, the weather cloudy enough to prompt her into taking a jog outside, and the air fresh as it can be in Seoul so she left her living room window open, not really putting much thought into it.

So, imagine her surprise when she gets back and sees Ggomo standing on his hind legs, body half inside her fridge, and painting the perfect picture of a cat that got caught stealing her bacon.

She’s out of her door and in front of Wheein’s after closing the fridge, mortified when the feline just promptly opened it back with an expert claw under the door and the shrill sound of nails scratching against metal. She doesn’t care if she’s waking up the whole floor with how loud she’s knocking—everyone’s away for work, anyway.

It’s already 9 AM.

“What the…” Wheein looks adorably confused, hair askew, and eyes puffy. “Hyejin?”

“Please do something about your cat,” she rushes out, gesturing vaguely to her open door. “It knows how to open my fridge.”

“Fuck.”

She watches as Wheein blearily stumbles inside her apartment, feet bare and the bottom of her sweatpants pooling against her sole. What are the feet equivalent for sweater paw? Sweatpants paw?

The orange cat is easy enough to spot, happily munching on his new acquisition of Hyejin’s bacon in the middle of her kitchen floor, purring once Wheein’s close enough.

“I am _so_ sorry about this,” she picks the cat up, tugging the bacon but to no avail. “He has an automatic feeder but I forgot to plug it back in after cleaning it last night.”

Hyejin doesn’t really like cats, but can’t resist when Ggomo has both paws around the bacon, satisfied in Wheein’s hold.

She boops his nose.

He just blinked up at her.

  
“Cute,” she whispers, tracing one finger in between the cat’s eyes. He meows. “He’s forgiven.”

“You like cats?” Wheein asks, looking a bit more awake but it’s obvious that she’s struggling, perhaps not used to being awake before noon.

“I like lions. They’re basically cats, right? I’m allergic to fur, though.” Wheein looks alarmed, backing up a step while Hyejin reassures her. “As long as they don’t shed near my pillow or face, we’re good.”

Wheein eyes her, squinting slightly. “Is that a mermaid thing or a Hyejin thing?”

“Being allergic to fur?” Wheein nods, a lock of her hair falling forward, making her look softer under the nice morning sunlight of Hyejin’s kitchen window. “Probably just me. Curious?”

Wheein smiles, shyly by the way her shoulder hunches forward a little, dimple making itself known and Hyejin kind of wants to see how deep it goes. “About you, yeah.”

_Oh_.

This is a moment, Hyejin’s sure of it. Of course, she’s attracted to Wheein—she has _eyes_ —but there’s something about it not being _just_ physical attraction, something that warms her because maybe Wheein wants to know more about mermaids because it’s about _her_.

She tries for a smile, watching as Wheein’s confidence grows and _oh,_ that is such an attractive look on her even with pillow crease marks pressed on her dimpled cheek and hair falling off of a low ponytail.

Ggomo squirms, bacon now gone, and the moment ends.

“I, uh, he usually poops right after eating, so.”

Letting her go doesn’t feel like such a waste, Hyejin nodding and watching as her neighbor slips lightly because of her long pants, waving a hand when Wheein nods at her from her front door.

They’ll see each other, anyway.

**::**

Hyejin looks at the clock. Half past 8 in the evening.

No more knocks follow but there’s a shadow moving under her front door and when she opens it, Wheein’s got both hands shoved deep in the pockets of her unsurprisingly oversized shorts reaching her knees. Hyejin doesn’t know how she pulls off such fashion but it _works_.

Hyejin leans against the open door, raising an eyebrow and wondering if she needs to talk to Mathilde again tonight.

“Pet emergency?” She asks, mirth coating her words because really, Wheein’s pets are better matchmakers than when her friends set her up for a blind date.

Wheein shakes her head, the thin chain around her neck moving. “I was wondering if you have eggs?”

It’s so ridiculous that Hyejin’s laugh catches her by surprise, like badly shaken champagne rising up her throat, Wheein biting her lip to smother her own smile. She leaves the door open, heads straight to the kitchen, and points to a container.

She watches as Wheein takes a couple, one for each hand. She has surprisingly small hands, fingers careful as they wrap around the eggs.

“Please tell me you’re not going to hatch them and then knock on my door, asking about how to raise a chicken?”

Wheein rolls her eyes, pointedly flipping the egg carton to show Hyejin that they aren’t fertilized, before stopping abruptly to look at Hyejin curiously.

“Do _you_ know how to raise a chicken?”

Hyejin scrunches her nose, a smile still stretching her cheeks. “Unlucky you, I don’t.”

A soft _boo_ slips Wheein’s lips before she bites them again, looking conflicted. “Not about chickens but do you know how to cook pancakes?”

“Yeah,” because who _doesn’t?_

Wheein, apparently.

She holds up the eggs in her hands. “Cool, can you help me make them? I’m craving, I don’t have eggs—well, I do now which I’ll pay for, by the way—and I don’t know how to make them.” Then as an afterthought, she adds: “You won’t have to do anything, just instructions and we can talk or something. Unless you’re busy. Which is cool too.”

They both know Wheein can easily look it up.

They both ignore that.

“Sure,” Hyejin agrees, gesturing to herself. “Let me change then I’ll meet you there.”

Good thing she just made tentative plans tonight.

**::**

Hyukwoo distractedly sips on his drink, watching as the end of his cigarette burns slowly, tapping it against the side of the ashtray once before opening his phone.

**_Locomotive [8:41 PM]_ **

_yo, u comin 2n8?_

**_Gin [8:42 PM]_ **

_can’t_

_remember cute neighbor?_

He almost drops his cigarette, eyes widening because Hyejin has been talking about this girl for the past few days at work, and frankly, he’s invested in how this romance will pan out.

**_Locomotive [8:42 PM]_ **

_holy shit!?!?!_

_the cute neighbor whose pets keep setting u 2 up?_

_which pet is it this time? LOL_

**_Gin [8:42]_ **

_she asked for eggs_

Hyukwoo blinks.

**_Locomotive [8:43 PM]_ **

_is that WLW’s codeword for sex?_

_i cant keep up with women nowadays_

_is that y ur not singing 2n8?_

**_Gin [8:44 PM]_ **

_she needs them for pancakes_

_that she dunno how to make_

**_Locomotive [8:44 PM]_ **

_r we gon pretend that she cant just_

_idk_

_look it up???_

_coz seems like she’s RLLY into spending time with u_

**_Gin [8:45 PM]_ **

_maybe im good company_

_u spend time with me too yah know_

**_Locomotive [8:45 PM]_ **

_ya but w no intentions of getting in ur pants_

**_Gin [8:49 PM]_ **

_it’s not like that……_

_i think?_

**_Locomotive [8:50 PM]_ **

_ASK HER_

**_Gin [8:51 PM]_ **

_Eh_

The three dots come and go, Hyukwoo manages to finish his glass and still no reply from Hyejin. He eyes the stage, chortles when a drunk man stumbles on the way to the microphone.

**_Locomotive [9:12 PM]_ **

_??_

It’s only when the crowd dwindles to a few tables, the jukebox playing the music instead, patron choosing water over their drinks, that Hyejin replies.

**_Gin [10:35 PM]_ **

_srry bout that_

_we were cooking_

He rolls his eyes, clicking his tongue when he realizes that he ran out of cigarettes.

**_Locomotive [10:36 PM]_ **

_does cute neighbor now know how to cook pancakes?_

**_Gin [10:39 PM]_ **

_ofc_

_i was the teacher, excuse u_

He thinks back to their earlier conversation about Hyejin’s… less than platonic intentions.

**_Locomotive [10:40 PM]_ **

_does cute neighbor know something else too?_

**_Gin [10:42 PM]_ **

_…_

_my number_

He squealed, uncaring if he startled every drunk inside the bar.

**_Locomotive [10:42 PM]_ **

_!!!_

_HOLY SHIT_

**::**

There’s no knock this time.

It’s almost midnight. They usually shoot during the morning but today’s restaurant accidentally overlapped a catering event and instead of rescheduling, they just pushed through the evening.

The elevator doors open on their floor and Wheein’s all dressed up—or dressed down, depending on a person’s stance on bralettes and a coat over it—leaning on the wall in between their doors, looking up hopefully. She even has makeup on.

“Hey,” Hyejin greets, pleasantly surprised after a whole day of checking her phone for a message in between filming. “, what’s up?”

She knows Wheein’s work hours are flexible, though her work remains unknown as Wheein told her _a conversation for another day, can’t spill all my secrets yet if I want you around_.

“I was supposed to ask if you wanted to grab dinner since, you know, texting you about it when we live next door is weird. Or not. Maybe—I don’t know,” she’s rambling, her long hair down and rings still present on all fingers. Wheein keeps turning one, an obvious nervous habit.

_Dinner_.

“Shit,” her stomach drops, wondering just how much time Wheein spent hovering over her door or listening through the wall, waiting for her. “I’m sorry, filming ran late and I already ate on set.”

Wheein bobs her head, hair swaying softly with the motion. “It’s alright. I should’ve texted you.”

Hyejin surges forward, holding thin wrists lightly. “It’s not your fault,” she hopes her eyes are sincere enough even through the tiredness in her eyes.

The smaller woman smiles at the gesture, not the first time Hyejin’s had the urge to poke a dimple. “Raincheck?”

She’s pulling out her keys, shaking her head. “Let me out of these heels and we can go.” And in a move that she’s sure Hyukwoo would approve, she calls out over her shoulder: “I want to end this night with you.”

Wheein nods once, smiling dopily and pliant when Hyejin pulls her inside her apartment to wait for her to get ready.

**::**

They only made it as far as a couple of blocks, Wheein’s hand still brushing against the street vendor’s when the rain started pouring. Hyejin watches the way her eyes go wide, almost dropping the bag of food in her haste to shed her coat and drape it over Hyejin’s frame, pulling her by the elbow into an awning.

“Oh my god, oh my god,” Wheein’s muttering under her breath, hands moving rapidly as she tries to wipe down any moisture on Hyejin’s exposed skin. Hyejin stops her hands, biting her lip to stop from smiling too widely because Wheein’s concern is adorable. “Are you—do you need me to carry you back? Is it too late?”

Hyejin shakes her head, wearing Wheein’s coat properly, and watches as the rain steadily rises in intensity, closing their distance to make sure it’s only Wheein who hears. “I don’t change under rainwater, don’t worry.”

Shoulders relaxing immediately, Wheein leans on the wall beside her, running a hand through her hair. “Really? Didn’t know that.”

Hyejin hums, assessing their food before hooking an elbow to Wheein’s arms, tugging her back to the direction of their apartment building. Just because everything seems to be out to ruin their night out doesn’t mean they can’t continue their evening inside.

“Seawater is what you should be worried about,” she smiles at the earnest expression on the other woman’s face, curious. “Specifically water where I was born.”

They make a run for it, laughing as fat droplets wet their face. Thanks to Wheein’s coat, Hyejin stayed relatively dry, thick hair only wet at the surface. Wheein wasn’t too lucky, the fabric of her bralette sticking against her like a second skin, the hem of her loose pants a darker shade along with the hem, and her hair look slicked back as she gets the most of it off of her face.

“Where are you from?” Wheein asks when they’re in the relative safety of the elevator.

“Jeonju.”

“Fuck, same!”

Hyejin can only shake her head because _of course._ Hyukwoo will have a field day with this.

**::**

They end up on Wheein’s couch, street food spread in front of them. Wheein tosses her a towel along with a _gonna change my clothes, be right back_ with Ggomo in her arms, presumably to lock him in another room to lessen any chance of Hyejin having an allergic reaction. She takes a chance at properly looking around the apartment, a few abstract—maybe that’s what those are called, Hyejin never had an interest—paintings hung strategically at bare walls, two guitars hanging by the living room wall, and her broom closet door ajar for a few inches with wires snaking through.

_Must be her office space._

“So,” Wheein starts, plopping ungracefully on the cushion beside Hyejin. She notes that there is lots of space to sit yet Wheein’s so close that her knee is pressing against the side of Hyejin’s thighs. It’s only mildly distracting. “, you sing at a bar? How’d that happen?”

“Apart from it a merfolk stereotype? Bad filming,” she answers, thanking the other woman as she fixes Hyejin a small plate. “I needed to unwind and it happened to be on the way home.”

“Maybe I should drop by sometime,” Wheein’s looking at her hopefully, making it hard to say no.

Hyejin smirks, batting her eyelashes exaggeratedly that has the other woman snorting. “It’s a date.” She nudges her softly with her arm. “How about you?”

“What about me?”

“Your opinion on music,” Hyejin says, all faux-seriousness. Her face must be ridiculous because Wheein just smiled at her, the lines of her face softer under the warm glow of the living room. “ I feel like that’s an important thing before this gets further.”

“Further, huh,” Wheein waggles her eyebrows, a giggle caught in her throat. “Music is everything. For me, at least. I learned words from songs more than from books. I learned to walk by stomping to the beat than through a walker.” Then she stops, looking mischievous with her tongue peeking in between her teeth. “Plus, it’s my job.”

That’s unexpected. “Really?”

“Yup,” Wheein pops the p, chewing a mouthful before elaborating further. “Singer and songwriter. Though I’ve been more focused on the production side of things for other artists.”

“Can I hear some of your songs?”

The damned dimple made itself known as Wheein grins. “Sure.”

**::**

Wheein passes her noise-canceling headphones attached to a phone-sized gadget, fiddling with the controls once before looking at Hyejin. She nods once, making a show of squirming backward against the couch pillows, making herself comfortable.

It starts with Wheein’s voice humming and harmonizing, electronic music following after that has Hyejin bopping her head, an untamable grin on her face. Satisfied, Wheein goes through the motion of cleaning up their plates as the song plays out.

Hyejin is admittedly half-distracted, following Wheein as she moves about her apartment. The song is about a person tired in a relationship, she gathers as much, wonders if Wheein wrote the lyrics out of the experience. When it reaches the featured rapper’s part, Hyejin rolls her eyes at the lines because _men_.

The headphones rest against her neck, Wheein sitting on the low table in front of her.

“I hope that looks for Sik-K’s part and not for my voice.” She laughs when Hyejin scrunches her nose in assent. “It was just supposed to be just me but that was my first release in a proper label and they wanted something that can,” she thinks of a word, settling with: “, appeal to all people involved in a relationship.” Which sounds like a sugar-coated version of _they don’t want me to make men look bad_. “Wanna hear the demo version?”

That one sends shivers down her spine. The guitar accompanied by Wheein’s voice was just something short of heavenly. Despite the upbeat strings, the way she sings still brings out the emotions. It’s something else.

The music player has a screen, a video playing on the display. She reaches for it, breath leaving her lungs as she watches Wheein sing with her hair cropped short and bleached, classic oversized button-down, and the lampposts doing Wheein’s beauty justice.

It ends sooner than the last one. Hyejin pulls the headphones up. “Another one?”

She has her eyes closed, head leaning back against the couch, feeling the last song still pulsing in her veins. The next one, however.

Hyejin feels herself sinking deeper against the couch, the heaviness of the words, the music, how Wheein _sings_.

In all her years, she’d never heard a human sing so brutally honest.

And also achingly familiar.

She’s swept under the waves of the song’s emotions, feeling herself tearing up, hands reaching up to press the headphones flush against the sides of her head, wanting to be one with the music. Because _god_ , she’s going to buy the album tonight.

She wants to cry, the painful lyrics wrapping around her like a serpent. It’s so fucking good.

The song ends, Hyejin blinking up against the ceiling only to find it blurred. She swipes at the corner of her eyes, Wheein handing her a glass of water and a very satisfied smile.

“Good?”

The cocky grin should be off-putting, Hyejin isn’t one for posturing, but Wheein turned the lights dim while she had her eyes closed and she’s looking unfairly attractive, singing voice still wrapped around Hyejin’s brain like seaweed.

“You know it was,” her voice was scratchy, hoarse like from when she sings for an hour straight and with lungfuls of cigarette smoke and sweat. Now it was just Wheein’s perfume and she’s getting more light-headed by the moment.

She stands up on shaky feet, headphones thudding against the couch as it fell from her lap, pressing forward and slotting her lips against Wheein’s.

She tastes like the lingering spice of the food, music, and the _ocean_.

Hyejin grabs a handful of her shirt, not wanting to let go.

**::**

She feels mildly bad when Wheein kicks Ggomo out of her bedroom a few minutes later, the cat meowing disapprovingly as he struts away from his little cat bed and back to the living room. Hyejin’s attention was pulled back when Wheein trailed damp kisses down the side of her neck, urging her to fall back against the sheets.

“This is okay, right?” Wheein asks against her neck, lightly sucking against the skin, fingertips trailing hot spikes of pleasure against the side of Hyejin’s open blouse.

“ _Yes_ ,” she wraps a leg around Wheein’s waist, pulling until they’re chest to chest, can feel the rapid pulse against her and _oh god, she’s not wearing a bra._

Clothes were a quick affair, Hyejin laughing breathily at the way they both hurriedly moved about, the sound cutting off into a moan as Wheein swirls a tongue against a hipbone hidden by the cotton of her simple underwear, looking up at her smugly with attractively tousled hair tossed over a shoulder.

It’s so unfair.

“Up here,” Hyejin pulls her by an arm, kissing the grin off of her lips until Wheein’s carefully situated on top of her, naked, spreading wet slick against the swell of her abdomen. “Fuck.”

She holds handfuls of Wheein’s ass, breath stuttering at Wheein enthusiastically grinds forward against her stomach, Hyejin trying her damned hardest to flex her muscles to provide a more solid surface. Wheein’s quiet in bed, only soft sighs and hitched breath. Hyejin wants to change that.  
  
  


Pushing downward, she moves Wheein until she’s on top of a thigh, Hyejin propping it up and moaning high at the keening sound punched out of Wheein’s throat, the human’s eyes closed tightly as she struggles to have something to hold on to.

There’s a sound of something dropping as their grinding picks up the pace, bed frame knocking softly against the wall, and something must’ve dislodged. Hyejin has half a mind to check what it was but Wheein pulls her back by her cheeks, pressing their foreheads together.

“Don’t—leave it, leave it. I’m—“

_Close_ , Hyejin thinks, the noises Wheein makes slowly getting louder, her hips jerking with every forward grind, and _god_ , she’s positively leaking, wetness dripping down Hyejin’s thigh where she’s astride. If mermaids could shift with _any_ kind of liquid, Hyejin thinks she would’ve shifted the second Wheein sat on top of her.

“Fuck,” Hyejin moans, can’t tear her eyes away from how _wrecked_ Wheein looks like. And she hasn’t even had her tongue and fingers on her yet. “That’s it, I’ve got you.”

Wheein whimpers, soft and needy, intertwining her fingers with Hyejin as she shakes violently, hips wanting to lift up but Hyejin keeps them there, dragging the orgasm out with a helpful hand against Wheein’s hips.

She licks her lips, preparing herself for a long night when she feels Wheein lick her stomach with purpose.

**::**

Hyejin knew she was alone in bed way before she woke up, vaguely recalling Wheein slipping out of her hold sometime after 4 AM. She stretches, enjoying the pop in her shoulders, and takes her time in collecting her clothes.

The broom closet has a light on, Hyejin poking her head in and true enough, Wheein’s hunched over a computer with a keyboard in front of her, the headphone from last night snug at the top of her head, and a finger fiddling with knobs and sliders, the other tapping a melody against the keys.

Wheein must’ve sensed her presence because she didn’t flinch when Hyejin draped her arms around her shoulders, pressing a kiss against the side of her head.

“Good morning,” Wheein greets, turning her head to press her nose against Hyejin’s neck. She shivers.

“Morning,” her voice is deliciously husky, something Wheein didn’t miss by the way Hyejin felt a grin grow against her skin. “I’ll go back to mine. I need to take a bath.”

Wheein draws away, biting her lip. “Is that an invitation?”

“Depends. I usually wash my tail in the mornings, so.”

She laughs at the awed look on Wheein’s face, eyes falling to her clothed legs.

“Oh.”

Hyejin tells her that shower sex will be postponed maybe later this evening but opens an invitation that Wheein’s welcome to watch her this morning if she wants to. Wheein nods, a little overwhelmed with the amount of trust there, and Hyejin just left her front door unlocked.

**::**

Wheein still knocks on the door, waiting for Hyejin’s _I’m in the tub_ before she toes in.

The first thing that catches her eyes is the way the morning light from the small window reflects against the light blue of Hyejin’s tail, the edges of the scale almost glowing. Next is the distracting red of blooming hickeys across Hyejin’s breasts, barely hidden under the water. It’s such two startingly contrast colors that the only word in her mind is _beautiful_. And that’s when Wheein realizes the smell.

“Saltwater?” She shuts the door behind her, curiously looking at the small water tank underneath the sink, a hose connected where it’s submerged at the end of Hyejin’s tail.

Hyejin nods, smoothly running a loofah from where the scales start beneath her belly button and stretching until it reaches the end. “I only need a little bit to shift, then I fill the tub with tap.”

Fascinated, Wheein gestures lightly, waiting for permission to touch. It’s not slimy, contradicting what she assumed, and the scales aren’t sharp either. “Wow. It’s different from what I thought.”

“How so?” Hyejin asked, Wheein distractingly following the motion of her hands.

“Didn’t expect it to be light blue, honestly.”

“Ah,” Hyejin gestures to the bathroom wall, Wheein only then realizing that it’s painted differently. “, it reflects color, in a way. It blends in with the color abundant and then lightens it up some.”

Wheein looks at the painting on the wall of what looks like the sea, noting that the side of the tub has dark blue before tapering off to lighter blue on the other side where Wheein’s own bathroom wall is against, finally ending with a light brown that suspiciously looks like— 

“Sand,” she breathes out, the dark brown lines by the sink standing out. “Oh my god.”

Hyejin wonders if something’s wrong, worriedly watching the way Wheein has gone silent. The toilet lid makes a noise when Wheein stands up suddenly, already bolting out of the door.

“Wheein? What’s—“

“Be right back!”

Hyejin tries to be rational, that Wheein didn’t leave because of seeing her shift. It’s a legitimate worry, however. No matter how whirlwind everything seems to be happening between the two of them, Hyejin can feel _something_ there. Something bigger than just the two of them.

Like the diluted water of her home tickling her skin, telling her something important.

Before long, Wheein’s skidding back into the bathroom, holding up a canvas that’s bigger than her upper body.

Hyejin feels her breath catch.

“I knew I wasn’t dreaming that time,” she whispers, watching as Hyejin takes in the painting. She reaches a hand forward, Wheein crossing the space between them to let the mermaid caress the way the dried paint swirls into a gentle wave, tracing the seaweeds caught beneath the dark brown lines of a dock, the bumps of dunes along a shore.

“It’s Jeonju,” she only has to look up at Wheein’s frantic nod, feeling _something_ rise up of her throat and warm her whole chest, the memory of a time when she was young playing across her mind so vividly. “Oh my god, it was you.”

She looks at her bathroom wall, painted the way her point of view looks when watching the shore, awed as she takes in the painting Wheein’s holding. It’s complimentary, this one is the view from the docks, looking out into the ocean.

“And it was _you._ ”

Hyejin feels a grin stretch her lips, beckoning a hand until Wheein kneels by the tub, cradling a soft jaw against her palm before pressing the softest of kisses against Wheein’s lips.

“There was a time,” she starts, letting the both of them just exist in the same space. “, that I heard a voice so beautiful it drew me out of the ocean.” Wheein laughs wetly, feeling something fall into place. “And on the docks was this snotty little girl, singing, the melody calling out, wanting to reach the other side.”

They can’t believe it, the moment feeling so surreal.

“And I remember thinking I’m crazy because a mermaid was listening to me sing.” Wheein shook her head, pressing forward with her lips, licking a hot mess against the inside of Hyejin’s mouth before pulling back. “I thought you were critisizing my voice.”

Hyejin bites Wheein’s lips playfully. “You have improved beautifully since.” She gestures to the painting. “Where was that? I don’t remember seeing it last night.”

A pretty blush spreads high on Wheein’s cheeks. “Yeah, well, it’s usually on top of my bed. I like to look at it sometimes and—”

Realization sits in, Hyejin letting a sound so unattractive that it pulls a laugh from Wheein. “Oh my god, did we knock that off the wall while fucking?”

Wheein slaps her shoulder, muttering a _so crass_ , before kissing her again.

She tastes like the mint of her toothpaste, morning, and the ocean.

Wheein doesn’t let go.

**::**

Byulyi looks over at the other producer, watching as Wheein bites her lip while typing out a text.

“So,” she starts, saving their current progress on a song. “, how was the first date?”

It takes a while for Wheein’s focus to be on her and she almost couldn’t hold in the tease when Wheein looks so _lovestruck_.

“She’s loud, messy, hogs almost all of the food.” She lists off, Byulyi shaking her head when the younger woman just looks positively charmed. “And I think I’m gonna marry her one day.”

Byulyi laughs, loud and echoing against the soundproofed walls of the studio.

“Isn’t that moving a little too fast?”

Wheein glares, the effect of it lost when she instantly pulls her phone closer from where it vibrated against the mixer. “Says the woman who literally got married the moment you met Yongsun-unnie.”

Byulyi groans. “She’s a _selkie_ , Wheein-ah. And how was I supposed to know?”

Wheein just hums, mind already elsewhere. “Well, I gotta go now. It’s the long weekend and I promised Hyejin we’ll go home to Jeonju.”

“Use protection!” Byulyi calls out, grinning at the middle finger Wheein throws over her shoulder.

**::**

Wheein watches from the docks, the beautiful orange of Hyejin’s tail glinting against the sunset.

When Hyejin’s settled at a good distance, she waits for the thumbs up, and then she clears her throat.

She sings.

**::**

**the end.**

**::**

wheesa soulmates? wheesa soulmates.

also, might fuck around and write the moonsun part of this au with selkie!yong and oblivious byul getting married unintentionally lmao

if y’all have the time, pls look into what’s happening right now in the philippines

i’m also helping the best i can and am urging everyone to be aware of what’s happening

thank you to my friend for this!

all mistakes are mine!

follow me on twitter: [**rexwrites**](http://twitter.com/rexwrites) coz y not?

thank you, stay safe, and have a good one!

**Author's Note:**

> **follow the link/s on my[ twitter ](https://twitter.com/rexwrites/status/1341058168483315712?s=20)for updates and if you want to be my friend! :D **


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